Battle of La Gudina

The Battle of La Gudina (7 May 1709) was fought between the 16,000-strong Spanish Army of Extremadura, commanded by Alexandre Maitre de Bay, and a 23,000-strong Anglo-Portuguese army under the Marquis of Fronteira and the Earl of Galway. The Anglo-Portuguese army advanced from the fortress of Elvas in Portugal to the Spanish border, and they met at the plain of Gudina. The Portuguese cavalry was easily routed, and two British Army infantry battalions were forced to surrender after the defeat of the Portuguese cavalry led to them being overwhelmed. Massue had a horse shot from under him, and he narrowly escaped. The Anglo-Portuguese army made an orderly retreat back to Elvas, and the Spanish were able to temporarily hold off an Allied invasion from Portugal.